


We're Inevitable

by JenInWonderland



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Kelly!Reader, Multi, Reader is Jack's sibling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 12:32:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16854034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenInWonderland/pseuds/JenInWonderland
Summary: You work for Medda as a seamstress, and on a faithful performance night you run into someone new.





	1. Never Planned on You

Medda had just finished her song before it happened. It was the usual organized chaos backstage as the crew transitioned from one set to another.

Smack.

You bounced off of the person you ran into and moved around them, staying focused on your task of transporting costumes you had just finished mending. “You probably shouldn’t stand there. Could getcha trampled on by someone worse than me.”

You handed one of the costumes to a girl who was impatiently waiting, and who rushed off when it was finally in her hands. The other costumes were quickly hung up on the rack. While you were doing this, you could feel eyes on you. Hardly anyone paid attention to you, especially during a show. You turned around to find a well-dressed boy who looked a little bit older than you, standing next to a younger boy, who also looked well put together. The older boy immediately tried to hide the fact that he was staring.

The lights went down and the music started before the boys moved as you suggested. You motioned for them to follow you in the low light of the backstage area. Soon after, the three of you reached an area where you wouldn’t be heard if you spoke. “A-are you kicking us out? Cause Medda said it would be alright if we stayed,” the older boy explained.

“I ain’t kicking you out. I was just curious of who you two were since I’ve never seen you around before.” As you spoke, you noted how they were both dressed.

“We came here with a friend, but he -uh, seems to have vanished,” Davey said before he glanced around.

“I could try to help you find him. He got a name?” You asked, casually crossing your arms.

“His name’s Jack Kelly. You know him?” The younger boy chimed in.

You smiled and nodded slightly, “He comes in every once and awhile to hide out,” you explained. Jack had been coming to see Medda for a long time, so he knew the theater just about as well as you did. “He’s probably just out in the house watching the show, but it’s not really like him to ditch his friends. Unless there’s a girl involved. If that’s the case, he might be a while.”

The older boy put his hands into his pockets. “Sounds like you know him fairly well.”

“You could say that we’re somewhat close,” you shrugged and then crossed your arms looking up at the older boy. “How’d you two come to meet Jack?”

“We’re newsies. Started this morning, actually,” the older boy explained.

Your eyebrows rose slightly. You looked the boys up and down for a moment before speaking, “Any good headlines today?”

The older boy fidgeted, “If you’ve never heard of the Trolley Strike, then yeah, I got a good one for you.” He smiled slightly, looking down at you.

You chuckled. “Well, unfortunately for you, I have. I appreciate the honesty and optimism though… What’re your names?”

“I’m David, and this is my little brother Les.” The older boy, David, told you. In return, you told him your name with a smile. “A pleasure to meet you,” he said.

“The pleasure’s all mine.” You smile once more. “Can I give you some advice? You’ll probably hear it from Jack later if you continue selling with him..” Both boys nodded. “If there’s one thing I learned from Jack, it’s that everyone is a potential customer. And, if I have heard it once, I have heard it a thousand times: Headlines don’t sell papes, newsies sell papes. So, you might wanna work on your sales pitches.”

David and Les nodded in acknowledgment. “Thanks, we’ll keep that in mind,” David said as he looked down at Les.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see the guy that you all were talking about. “Speak of the devil and in he walks,” You turn and smile at Jack who was jogging toward the three of you. He slid slightly into you before giving you a big hug.

“Well, if it ain’t my favorite girl,” Jack smirked and kept an arm around you as he turned to the other two boys. “Davey, Les, I see you two are keeping my little sister company. Thought you two had to get home.”

It took a moment for the surprise to vanish from Davey’s face. “We do, but I thought it would be rude to leave without saying goodbye. Then, we quite literally ran into your sister and she was going to help us find you, and then we just got to talking. Where did you disappear to?” He rambled his explanation, taking a couple of steps forward.

“Actually, I ran into you two. Completely my fault. Sorry.” You apologized sincerely.

Jack took all of the information in, looking from Davey to you. “All right… Well, now that we got all that straightened out… We should really let you get back to work.” He wrapped his arms around you again and gave you a kiss on the forehead, successfully avoiding the question that Davey asked him, at least for the moment.

You shot Jack an unamused look to his smirky one, embarrassed at the public display in front of his new friends, or just the one in particular. “Yeah, always a million things to do on performance nights.” You looked back up at Davey with a coy smile. “It truly was a pleasure meeting you Davey.” Davey’s cheeks flushed, unnoticed by you, but not by Jack. You then looked down at his little brother, who also smiled. “You too Les.”

“A pleasure,” Davey smiled and nodded warmly, making heat rush through your body. His gaze snapped to Jack, who was watching him intently.

“Be safe out there. See you around.” You waved, before walking away. You already knew that you couldn’t wait to see Davey again. Almost instantly you were caught by someone who needed something fixed with their costume. You looked back in time to see Davey, Jack, and Les leave through the stage door.


	2. Going on Strike

The sun rose way too early for your liking. It looked like it was going to be another sunny, hot day. Begrudgingly, you got up and readied yourself for the day ahead. You sighed, knowing that you most likely had a long day ahead of you.

It was almost time for dinner when you finally left the theater. You quickly walked to Jacobi’s Deli to grab something to eat. When you rounded the corner, you saw a bunch of excited newsies leaving the deli. You sped up your pace and got to the door just as Davey exited. “Long time no see,” you smiled sweetly.

Davey turned to find where the voice came from, and saw you. He smiled in return as he stepped out of the way of the other exiting newsies and toward you. “Nice to see you again Ms. Kelly,” he greeted.

You smiled and looked down as your face flushed momentarily, “Likewise. So, Everyone seems to be in quite the hurry. What’s happenin’?”

“It’s kinda a long story…” Davey warned.

“I got time. Or, if you want, just give me the short of it.” You say.

Davey put his hands in his pockets before beginning,“The short of it is, the newsies went on strike today because Pulitzer raised the price of papes 10¢ more a hundred, and now we’re off to go spread the news.” There was a brief pause before he spoke again, “Oh, and your brother is our leader, and we might be in the papes.”

Your eyes widen in disbelief. It was a lot to wrap your head around. There was a sense of pride rushing through your body, quickly being taken over by fear. Your boys were standing up for themselves. Taking on someone like Joseph Pulitzer wouldn’t be easy, and who knows what could happen. You tried to clear the negative thoughts away before you spoke. “Where did you volunteer for, or were you spared from that honor?”

“Well, your brother volunteered him and I for Brooklyn,” he stated. It was easy to see that he was clearly unamused about this choice.

Your eyebrows rose, “You ever been to Brooklyn?” Davey shook his head. “Brooklyn’s not too bad. I’m sure you’ll be fine. Les goin’ with you?” You asked.

“Not if I can help it.” Davey stated protectively before taking his hands out of his pockets and shifting his balance.

“Don’t let Spot Conlon hear you talking like that,” you smirked, “Might imply that Brooklyn ain’t the best neighborhood in New York or somethin’.” You chuckled.

Davey chuckled slightly in return. “Just might, …”

“Davey, be ready to go in the mornin’,” Jack interjected, following some redheaded girl out of the deli.

You watched Jack disappear around the corner. ‘Must be a new girl he’s pursuing,’ you thought. From the glance of her that you got, she was pretty, but pretty much all of the girls that Jack pursued were. You did notice though that she had a notepad and pencil on hand, easily setting this one apart from the others.

“She’s a reporter,” Davey said, noticing you looking after Jack. “She’s gonna cover the strike.”

Your attention snapped back to Davey once he started speaking. “You don’t say..” Female reporters weren’t as common as they should be, so you were impressed. “She knows a good story when she hears one,” you smiled coyly, inching closer to Davey.

“You should come to newsies square tomorrow,” he offered with a shy smile. “I’m sure the guys would love to have your support.”

“Hell yeah we would,” Racetrack interrupted with his usual cheeky grin, putting his arm around you, pulling you close to him. This caused you to take an unwanted step back. You hadn’t even realized that any of the newsies were still around. At that point, Les found Davey and stood by his side. “Ain’t that right, Crutchie?” Race asked.

“Yeah it is. Come on Thimble, take a break from work. Medda won’t mind.” Crutchie coaxed.

You had been working almost nonstop lately. And, you would hate it if you missed something like this. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” you assured. The boys smiled triumphantly.

“Well, I got newsies to visit. So, gotta scram,” Race told you with a cheeky grin. You smiled at him and he pulled you into a full embrace. You two broke away after a couple of seconds and you told him goodbye.

Race was making his way down the street when Davey spoke again, though something seemed to have changed about his demeanor. “We better go too. Folks are waitin’.” Davey smiled politely and took Les by the hand.

“See you tomorrow, Davey. Les. Stay safe you two,” you said warmly. Davey smiled warmer than before and turned to make his way back home. You let out a quiet sigh as he turned a corner. It was then that you felt Crutchie’s hand on your shoulder. You looked back at him to find him smirking.

“You okay Thimble? You’s looking kinda flushed.” He teased with a playful grin.

You loosely crossed your arms in front of you. The heat that was coursing through your body had not died down yet. Leave it to Crutchie to be the one to see right through you. You shifted your posture before replying lightly, “I’m fine Crutchie. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell my brother. At least, not yet.”

“You got my word, but Jack aint stupid. He’ll figure it out eventually,” Crutchie countered. “I mean, it only took me two seconds of looking at you to know that you are smitten with Davey.”

“I know, but he’s so wrapped up in all this that it might take him a little while,” you said, sounding almost optimistic. You wanted time to figure out if these feeling for Davey were real. Then, the next step would be figuring out if they are requited. With so much changing you didn’t want to rush into anything. “Is it really that obvious?” You wondered out loud.

“If you say so…” He paused, leaning against the building to relieve pressure in his strong leg. “Yeah, sorry. You might want to work on hiding those feelings if you don’t want Jack finding out before you’se ready.” You nodded in response. “Hey, you comin’ to the rooftop tonight?” Crutchie asked, changing the subject.

You smiled tiredly, “I have a bit more work to do and then I’ll be there. Besides you gotta tell me about this girl reporter I heard about.”

“See you there.” Crutchie smiled and turned to leave.

“Stay safe,” you called to him before going into Jacobi’s Deli.

—-

It was slightly later than you hoped that you would get out of work. Walking the streets this late always put you on edge no matter how safe you were being. You sighed in relief when you reached the fire escape that led to Jack’s rooftop. The sound of Jack and Crutchie’s laughter grew as you made your way up. “Evenin’ boys,” you greeted as you reached the top step and stepped onto the rooftop.

“My favorite sister.” Jack smiled, rising from where he sat.

“Your only sister,” you countered playfully before giving him and Crutchie both hugs. “So, I uh, hear you’re goin’ to Brooklyn, in the mornin with the uh, new kid..” You cringed internally, that sentence could have gone smoother. Jack did not seem to notice. Maybe Crutchie was right, you did need to work on your acting skills.

“Yeah, me and Davey are goin to see Spot to convince him to join the strike,” Jack stated as he leaned with his forearms against the railing.

“Talk about a trial by fire,” you mused, looking over to Jack for a moment. “Usually you’d take Race or just go by yourself. Tryin’ to see if this one’ll stick?”

Jack shook his head, “Nah, he’ll be fine. As long as he don’t say nothin wrong to Spot.” He paused to look over at you. “What do you think of him? I saw you two talkin tonight.”

Heat rushed through your body. “I’m surprised you saw anything with that girl you were chasin’ after,” you smirked. Then Jack smiled, and you saw something in him that you hadn’t seen in a long time. A spark of hope. Maybe enough of something to make him want to stay here in New York. You looked over to Crutchie, who smiled, before you spoke again. “But, to answer your question, I think Davey’s a good guy. We didn’t talk for long, but he seems different than the other newsies,” you said, pausing for a moment. “Could just be the manners though,” you joked.

“What’s that supposed to mean? I got manners,” Jack asked, pretending to be offended. “They’se just a little rusty.” He smiled.

You grinned in return, and reassuringly touched his arm,“You know I’m only joking.”

Jack smiled and pulled you in, his arm now around you, “I know. Cause my manners is perfect.”

“They’se alright, but we are getting off topic. Who’s this girl reporter?” You inquired, taking a slight step away from Jack to see how he talks about her. How Jack talks about a girl is key to knowing how long the infatuation will last.

Jack straightened up almost immediately before turning to face you and Crutchie better. Jack is usually one to play things close to the chest, but since his family was here, he opened up. The rest of the night consisted of laughing and talking for hours before calling it a night. Rest would surely be needed to combat the eventful day that you felt tomorrow would bring.


	3. Seize the Day

The day started with you waking up before dawn to find Jack gone. You soon remembered that Jack was most likely on his way to, or on the way back from, Brooklyn. Starting to wake-up more fully, you slowly got up. It wouldn’t be long before the morning bell rang and the newsies started getting up. Carefully, you made your way down the fire escape and rushed to Medda’s theater. Today would be an interesting day, you could just feel it. It didn’t matter how things ended up. After today, things would be different. The better or worse hadn’t been decided yet.

Although your room at Medda’s theater was technically an extra dressing room that was semi-attached to the costume closet, you were happy to call it home. Fabric was draped across chairs and the edges of the hanging rack in the corner that held unfinished and torn costumes.

Quickly, you flipped through the dresses on your clothes rack before deciding on one. The one you chose was care-worn, but maintained its simple charm. You smiled, catching your reflection in the mirror once you got the dress looking just the way you wanted. It would be perfect for whatever happened in the day ahead. You exited the theater just as the morning bell rang.

Most of the Manhattan newsies had yet to arrive when you reached newsies square. Your pace sped up you saw Jack standing with some of the other newsies in front of the ‘The World’ gate. As you made your way toward them, you noticed that none of the Brooklyners were there. Your expression faltered, but you refused to let any of the boys see any loss of hope. Optimism and perseverance would be everything if they had any hope of winning against Pulitzer and the other papers. Of course, more people wouldn’t hurt either, but the newsies would do the best with what they had. It was what they had always done. “Brooklyn waitin’ to make a dramatic entrance or something?” You asked sarcastically with a light chuckle.

The guys chuckled and nodded their heads in hello as you passed them. “What’d you do, leave the new kid in Brooklyn?” you asked Jack jokingly to cover your curiosity as to where Davey was.

“Hm?” Jack’s gaze focused on you, “Oh, nah. He just had to run home to get Les. Said he’d be right back.” Jack attempted to subtly, yet critically take a look at you. “You look nice…”

“Thanks,” you answer with simple caution, “So do you. Tryin’ to look nice for the papes, or the reporter?” you ask in a cheeky fashion. Casually, you glanced around to see if any other newsies had joined the group and more had.

Jack smirked, “I could ask you almost the same question.”

Your brows furrowed in fake confusion and shook your head. “I got no idea what you’re talking about..”

“Look, I get it. You’ve liked him for a long time, so you took this opportunity to look nice. Maybe you’se thinking that he’ll finally see what’s in front of him…” He pushed verbally, leaning forward slightly.

Anxiety coursed through your body. You were so busted. You were sure that Jack knew, but you had to try and play it off. You shrugged when he paused, acting casual. You wouldn’t say that you liked Davey for a long time, you met him almost a week ago. Wait, who was Jack talking about?

When you didn’t respond, Jack continued, “I just don’t want you getting hurt, alright? And if Racetrack hurts you, I’ll kill him, there ain’t no doubt about that,” he smiled protectively, “But, I can’t stop you from going after somebody that makes you happy. …Unless it’s a Delancey, then we’d talk.” Jack cracked a more easy-going smile and you chuckled. Jack continued with a tired grin,“I just want you to be happy.”

Relief washed through you. You weren’t busted after all. “I know, you just want the best for me,” you smiled warmly. When all of this calmed down, you really needed to tell Jack what was going on with you. “Could you do me a favor and just not say nothin’?” There was already enough going on and you didn’t feel like adding to the chaos. You looked around once more and noticed that Race, Buttons, and Finch had arrived.

“Not a problem. Tell him when youse is ready.” Jack smiled, and squeezed your upper arm.

“Tell who, what?”

You tensed at the newly familiar voice that came up from behind. You turned with an easy smile on your face. There was curiosity and a tinge of worry gracing Davey’s features. “Nothing. Everything’s fine. It’s nothing that can’t wait until this is through,” you reassured. Davey’s expression seemed to lighten. “I’m gonna go check in with some of the other newsies.”

“Yeah, you do that.” Jack sounded amused. You were sure that he thought you were looking for Racetrack, but in reality you knew that being seen interacting with Davey would more than likely give you away. That was something you just weren’t ready for.

~~Time skip~~

With Wiesel and the Delanceys gone to get reinforcements, there was a moment to breathe. All of the triumphant faces made your heart swell. You hadn’t even noticed that Katherine had arrived. Next thing you knew, you were being pulled into the photo by Davey. You posed and smiled as the flash of the camera felt like it temporarily blinded you.

Then suddenly, everyone was celebrating and hugging, some were even playfully throwing papers in the air. You happily turned and hugged Buttons, and then Racetrack, who embraced you tightly before he handed you pages of newspaper to toss with a playful smile.

All of the celebrating ended with the sound of two hits of a club against metal.

The chaos that ensued soon after was exhilarating and terrifying. Papes were flying, barrels and wagons were rolling, and everywhere you turned there were newsies fighting. Everything seemed to be going alright. The newsies seemed to be more than holding their own.

Then the cops showed up, and things turned ugly real fast.

Adrenaline pumped through your veins as you ran around, attempting to help and avoid the cops. Someone grabbed you at the waist and started to pull you away. Instantly, your instincts kicked in. You looked back to find that it was Morris, then turned quickly to elbow him in the face and stomp his foot. You didn’t have time to appreciate his look of surprise before you escaped from his embrace.

Newsies were starting to clear out of newsies square. Not fully paying attention, you run into Davey and Les. “Gotta stop meeting like this,” he said with a tired smile, “Follow me.”

“Where to?” You asked.

Davey grabbed your hand and smiled. “Trust me.”

———————–

The three of you ran a few blocks before figuring out that no one was chasing you. Davey had yet to let go of your hand, and you hoped that he wouldn’t any time soon. “It’s so pretty here,” you noted, before looking over at Davey. He seemed to be carrying himself a certain way, the adrenaline wearing off. His pace slowed. Your gaze took in the park that you had no idea existed while Davey guided you slowly to a nearby bench, without you realizing he let go of your hand when he sat down.

You looked over to find Davey sitting rigidly and looking up at you. Les was sitting on the grass beside the bench. You looked discreetly down at your hand and smiled fondly. When you looked back at Davey’s posture, you figured out that was feeling some pain was starting to set in. Your smile faded with worry as you sat close to him. “Are you alright?” You asked, turning yourself to take him in.

“Yeah, I just need a moment,” he sighed tiredly and glanced over at his younger brother. “Les, you alright?”

Les was holding onto his left arm as he looked up at Davey. “My arm hurts a bit.”

Your lips pursed as you leaned slightly over Davey. “If you two can handle it, I should have fabric back at the theatre to make a sling. It ain’t too far from here, I think,” you offered, leaning back to where you were.

The Jacobs brothers shared glances, silently debating before coming to a conclusion moments later. “Alright, lead on.” Davey stated, slowly rising from the bench before helping Les.

—–

Getting back to the theatre took slightly longer than you thought it would. You sighed in relief when you finally reached your destination. “Home sweet home,” you smiled triumphantly before opening the door to the costume closet that was attached to your living quarters. “Feel free to sit anywhere that there isn’t stray fabric.” You casually picked up pieces of fabric to clear seating options while also keeping an eye out for one that would work for Les.

You returned triumphant minutes later with a random piece of neutral looking fabric and an ice pack for Davey. You handed Davey the ice pack and crouched down close in front of Les and gestured for his arm, the fabric ready. He winced in pain as you maneuvered the fabric to where it needed to be. You checked with Les before tying the sling closed. He said that it felt good and thanked you for your help. “It’s the least I can do,” you smiled, “Now, you try to relax. And, no more fights, Okay?” Les nodded tiredly and relaxed back into his seat.

Up until now, you had been trying not to think about the fact that you had been able to feel Davey’s full attention on you. Clearly, you were failing miserably. Though, maybe this meant something. Maybe he felt the same way. Or, it could just be that you were taking care of his brother and he was eyeing you like a hawk, like any protective older brother would do. You looked back at Davey when you heard him speak. “You’re good with him,” he stated.

“He’s a good kid. Quite the trooper out there today,” you smiled coyly as you took in his features, “you all were.” A bruise was starting to show on his cheek. “I think I might have something for that bruise…” You were in the middle of rising when Davey cut you off.

“It’s fine. Doesn’t even hurt,” he reassured you as he rose to stand, “Thank you, for ah, makin’ the sling for Les.” He moved himself subtly closer to you.

“Like I said, it’s the least I can do. You guys got me outta there. I should be the one thanking you…” You trailed off, looking down. You sat the refused jar of ointment down on the desk beside you. “So, thank you Davey.” You quickly grabbed his hands, before your courage left you, leaned in and kissed his un-bruised cheek. The kiss only lingered for a moment before you pulled back slowly, realizing how close your faces were. You could see a hint of a smile grace his face. You tried pulling away, taking a step or two before Davey pulled you back in.

Davey’s eyes glanced down to your lips before returning to your gaze. One of Davey’s hands let go of yours and cupped the side of your face. He leaned in slowly as if asking for permission. You smiled and closed your eyes before you started leaning.

When you were merely centimeters apart, the door of the costume closet shot open, banging against the wall, and you and Davey jolted apart. Racetrack pushed his way into the area seemingly not realizing immediately that he might have interrupted something. He paused for a moment with a smirk. “What’s going on here?” You could hear the humor in his voice as Les rubbed his eyes.

“Nothin’ Race, I was just helping Davey and Les,” you covered, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. “Everything alright?”

“Uh huh, sure.” He said, with a look that suggested ‘we’ll talk later’. “Everything’s not alright. They got Crutchie. He’s gone to the refuge.”


End file.
